Top eleven reasons why the work-a-day-ness i.e., having a day job helps our writing

Every whinny writer worth her salt complains about the tension between having a job and wanting to be a full time writer (talk about inner conflict). We whine that if only we had the time we’d finish that novel or search out markets for it. If only we had the money we wouldn’t have to work and we would spend our days writing and reading in the back yard in the sun. Yes, I feel that way as well and have bent many ears complaining about it. So that led me to mull over the top ten, eleven reasons why exposure to the work-a-day-ness is a good thing.

1.)  You’re used to crazies, quirky people, interesting and unique individuals. You’ll find them in any and all professions including publishing. So when you come across a whacky, unusual situation you aren’t surprised by it, you will be used to managing it, and you will manage it professionally. 

2.)  Working with crazy, quirky, interesting and unique individuals gives you insight into personalities and characters.

3.)  You’re not afraid to put your self out there whether that’s sending out submissions or calling the media or bookstores about your launches. I’ve written press releases for some of my writing friends who, haven’t been in what you would call a full time work sphere, and are too afraid to.

4.)  You understand how the world works - whether it’s exposure to social networking, reading the ads on the bus or just talking to people about your writing and extending your contact list. You probably have a leg up over those who are in their Sasquatch cave pounding away on the first computer they ever had and are still listening to the squeal/squelch of dial up internet.  

5.)  You’re used to hauling your butt out of bed every morning at a certain time, slamming it down on the bus and getting down to work. When I was writing my Masters thesis and working full time, the phrase B - C was big and was a computer marketing term that referred to Business to Consumer applications. I had my own version of B – C: butt to chair time. That’s what it takes even if it is only a half hour a day. It all adds up. When people asked me how the writing of my thesis was going I would say “consistently slow.” It was coming along slowly, but I was consistent about how much time I was spending on it. A whole thesis or book can be written this way. 

Next blog post: numbers 6-11 why it's good for writers to have jobs. 

How unbelievably obvious is it that I just learned, learnt, taught myself, figured out, how to use the thing where you write something and then put a line through it, strikeout feature.